Interludes

THE HANGOVER REPORT – Unfortunately, GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER is a totally new musical that isn’t

• By drediman
• August 15, 2018
• No Comments

Mitchell Jarvis leads the cast of “Gettin’ the Band Back Together” at the Belasco Theatre.

This week, the second of three new musicals – and certainly one of the dark horses – of the lead-in summer of the 2018-2019 Broadway season opened, Mark Allen and Ken Davenport’s Gettin’ the Band Back Together at the Belasco Theatre (the last of the trio is the yet-to-be-assessed musical adaptation of Pretty Woman, which officially opens next week). The piece tells the tale of Mitch Papadopolous, a recently laid off 40-year-old stockbroker who moves back home to live with his mom in suburban New Jersey (the musical, unsurprisingly, premiered in 2013 at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, NJ). When the chance to rekindle his high school dream of thriving as a frontman of a band, well you can fill in the blanks as to how the story unfolds. If you can think of a love child that looks like a cross somewhere in between School of Rock and Rock of Ages, I think you’ll get the drift. But unlike those other two genuinely entertaining musicals, most of the awkwardly titled Gettin’ the Band Back Together just isn’t very good.

Despite the fact that Gettin’ the Band Back Together is a totally new musical (e.g., not based on a film, does not leverage preexisting songs) – a very rare beast on Broadway these days – there’s little about the show that’s actually very original. Mr. Allen’s score is tuneful at first listen, even crowd-pleasing at some moments, but much of his music and lyrics are second tier Larry O’Keefe, let alone David Yazbek. As for Mr. Davenport’s book (he also produced the show), the less said the better. The first act is one big unfortunate cliché that was a chore to sit through. Admittedly, the second act picks up in energy and momentum as it drives towards the musical’s predictable conclusion, but it’s a case of there being too little/too late.

Director John Rando does his best to salvage the production; his work is sprightly, giving the the piece a cartoon-like aesthetic (the colorful set design is by Derek McLane) that’s appropriate for the underlying material. Indeed, the musical actually does register as a Saturday morning cartoon for middle-aged non city dwelling folks. As for his actors, it was refreshing to see new faces in leading/featured roles on the Broadway stage. Most of the hardworking cast, led by Mitchell Jarvis as Mitch, were admirably committed to the show, imbuing the trite material with much-needed heart. Clearly, they were relishing the opportunity to be performing on the boards of the Belasco; I just wished I had experienced even a small portion of their ecstasy.

SOMEWHAT RECOMMENDED

GETTIN’ THE BAND BACK TOGETHER
Broadway, Musical
Belasco Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run